


Carrot Cake Blues

by wesawbears



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-17
Updated: 2019-12-17
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:41:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21826111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wesawbears/pseuds/wesawbears
Summary: Neil and Andrew are adjacent stall owners at a local farmer's market. Andrew is a baker and Neil runs a lemonade stand with a certain creative flair. As always, something blossoms. Written for the AFTG Exchange Christmas event.
Relationships: Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Comments: 8
Kudos: 153
Collections: AFTG Exchange Winter 2019





	Carrot Cake Blues

Andrew wasn’t your typical farmer’s market stall owner, to say the least. While most of the carts were run by smiling farmers or thirty-something women trying to convince grad students that kale smoothies would solve their anxiety, Andrew was just there to get rid of the superfluous amount of sweets that were overtaking his apartment.

The baking had started when his therapist had suggested finding a creative outlet. The idea of art therapy and sitting in a room painting with other depressed people was less than appealing, but after hearing a passing comment about his sweet tooth, she had recommended that he try baking.

It hadn't taken him long to memorize the basics of different recipes, so he spent his free time adding new variations and ingredients to his creations. The problem was that he was still one person, who no matter how valiantly he tried, could only eat so many sweets. Eventually, his one-bedroom had become overrun with baked goods, and frankly, he needed a way to get them out of his house.

He found the farmer's market through his therapist, who went there on the weekends to do her produce shopping. As it turned out, other people were happy to hand off ingredients for him to sneak into his desserts, so he fit in pretty well with the rest of the ecosystem. His stand had become pretty popular, partly stemming from his promotion where customers got 50 cents off if they completed their transaction without attempting to engage Andrew in small talk. So, overall, things had been going pretty well.

Blissfully, for his first three months at the market, no stands had been put up next to him. One Saturday, though, he showed up and the adjacent stand was being set up. It looked to be run by a redhead who, unfortunately, Andrew had to report was hot. What was less hot was the fact that he was essentially running a lemonade stand.

For the most part, he tried to ignore the mysterious and irritatingly hot lemonade man, until he came face to face with him.

"Lemonade?"

Andrew looked up and saw Lemonade Man's smirking face in front of him. Resisting the urge to either punch or kiss him, he just said, "What's your sales pitch?"

Annoyingly, he only shrugged. "It's hot out. Lemonade is good."

"Most people would have said something about their lemonade being organic or GMO-free or some shit."

The guy just smirked and leaned in. "Want to know a secret?"

Andrew didn't give away whether or not he wanted to know. He was more curious than actually interested.

At his silence, the man continued, "It's just Country Time."

At that, Andrew raised an eyebrow. "False advertising."

He shrugged again. "Not like anyone knows the difference." 

Andrew leaned back in his chair. "Interesting."

"That's all you have to say?"

"Go away, lemonade boy. Before I get bored."

A small smile started to spread across the other man's face before he seemed to stem it at the source. "I'm Neil, by the way."

"Good to know."

He was met with an eyebrow raise. "Aren't you going to tell me yours? I thought that was how conversations worked."

Andrew crossed his arms. "Another day."

Seemingly sensing that he wasn't going to get anything else, he went back to his stall, smirk unable to be pressed down.

Curious, Andrew thought to himself.

\--

An entire month had passed, and Neil still hadn't been able to get a name out of the baker with the stand next to him. He wasn't the typical farmer's market seller, but neither was Neil, with his vaguely counterfeit lemonade stand. He justified it by saying that he didn't charge much for it, or outright lie. He said it was lemonade, and if people were dumb enough to assume it was fresh, they were the ones deluding themselves, not Neil. 

He doesn't know what came over him that caused him to be honest to this stranger. He supposed it was the way he seemed to see through the bullshit of the place in the same way Neil did. Every Saturday for the past month, then, he'd sit at his stand for about two hours before getting bored and spending the next two talking to the baker and trying to get his name.

People seemed surprised that he talked to Neil, but the baker seemed chatty enough when he wanted to be. He knew all about the stand promotion and rolled his eyes at the dramatics. But Neil could respect not wanting to deal with small talk.

Baker man had said that he would tell Neil his name once he was able to guess Neil's favorite dessert. He had tried everything: chocolate, vanilla, red velvet, cakes, cookies, all kinds, but nothing had seemed to stick. Neil sort of wanted to just tell him because his curiosity was killing him, but the desire to be a little shit was too compelling to pass up.

On this particular Saturday, he returned as always to a sweet sitting in the middle of his table. "What's your guess today?"

The baker gestured vaguely. "Just try it."

Neil took a bite and was immediately surprised and pleased. He didn't have much of a sweet tooth, but this seemed balanced and earthy. "Mmm."

"No," the baker said simply.

"What? Am I not supposed to like it?"

"Your favorite is not fucking carrot cake."

"Is that what this is?"

The baker's face remained impassive, but barely. "I can't believe you like carrot cake."

"You know what that means."

"My name?"

Neil nodded eagerly.

"Andrew."

"Hmm."

"I didn't ask your opinion."

"Did I give it?"

The corners of Andrew's mouth twitched slightly. "You are impossible."

Neil just laughed. "You like it."

"Maybe I do."

At that, Neil was taken aback. He didn't...do this. He had never really looked at anyone and wanted more. But he kept coming back to Andrew.

"I could use a ride home," he said, not really knowing what possessed him to do so.

Andrew looked at him, hard, before apparently settling on an answer. "I can do that."


End file.
